The Art of Living

Living is an art form? If we think about it, it should be?

I went for the beginner's class at Ved Vignan Mahavidyapeeth (VVM), Art of Living Foundation's ashram in Bangalore, which is also its headquarter. The opportunity just happened for me to join a small privileged group of eight that would attend a condensed session held over the Republic Day long weekend.

I must admit that I had only heard of the Art of Living courses and saw Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, its founder, very briefly one time at the airport. So I had no clue what I had enrolled for. I knew there was going to be yoga and some breathing techniques and that was it. A non-denominational, educational and humanitarian non-profit organization, The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF)'s stated goal is to uplift society by strengthening the individual through programs that create a sense of belonging, restore human values, develop life to its full potential, and encourage people from all backgrounds, religions, and cultural traditions to come together in celebration and service.

I arrived at VVM on Friday morning at 8.30am and registered myself. I was then escorted to a compound actually off-campus called Baliga, which housed a few bungalows. Dia and Pooja arrived about a half hour later. Our group was complete and we started our first session with a very senior teacher at Art of Living, Vinod Kumar.

Vinodji called our sessions discussions. With several catch phrases that were repeated over the next few days by different teachers, we got a glimpse into the basis of Guruji's (the name by which Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is referred to on campus) teachings. We also learned the Sudarshan Kriya, which is a breathing process based on ancient techniques. It was designed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1982. This is a core offering of many of the personal-development, stress- and trauma-relief programs taught by the AOLF.

Given that the small group was specially organised, we were also granted a brief audience with Guruji himself. The amount of reverence he received then was only a hint of what he would normally get when he is with the masses. As it was close to lunch time, he hand picked fruits for us from a basket and believe me, these were treasured by all present. My course mates described the great energy they felt in his presence and how they felt he could reach inside the minds. What I saw was his sincerity in wanting to know if we comfortable with our accommodation and how the smile never left his face. And he gave me the fruit I wanted, a banana, without me asking for it.

In the evenings, satsangs were held. Satsang is a Sanskrit word (sat – being, and sanga meaning gathering or coming together). The purpose of such gatherings is self-knowledge. Everyone would gather in the Vishalakshi Mantapa after dinner. Bhajans (Hindu devotional music) were sung and one could really feel the festivity in the air. Singers would lead and everyone else would follow. I saw many oriental faces in the audiences and most of them moved their lips with easy familiarity. Most of them didn't even speak Hindi or English to begin with. How did they become such devout followers? Everyone clapped to the music and quite a few people would actually get up and dance to the bhajans.

The bhajans would pick up rythm and wind down. Another would then begin. At one point, the fervour just kept building and a commotion started towards the back of the hall, signaling the arrival of Guruji. Devotees started rushing closer to the path with offerings of garlands and mementos. Quite a few would touch his feet and almost prostrate themselves before him. He would finally seat himself on the settee on the stage. The music would carry on and Guruji would close his eyes and meditate.

Eventually the music stopped and Guruji took question in Kannada, English and Hindi. The Mongolians and Taiwanese etc, were all wearing headphones which meant there was some simultaneous translation happening at the same time. Saturday's satsang was even more special and festive. Guruji actually invited the Mongolian contingent to sing and they did a beautiful song. I have no idea what it meant but he even knew some of the words and attempted to join them, in falsetto even. He also invited a French actor to do a song.

The satsangs always ended with everyone celebrating a birthday or anniversary coming on stage to receive Guruji's blessing. Some even brought cakes for him to cut. It was amazing to watch the happiness on their faces as they received the garlands. One chap actually jumped for joy when he managed to hug Sri Sri. It was always on that note that he would wave to the audience and disappear back stage.

The three days have been a real revelation to me. To be reminded of life's lessons to achieving happiness was one thing. To be a vegetarian all that time was huge. But to see all these people from different lands and culture come together, some of whom did not even speak a common language, to revere a man with a simple message of winning the world over with love, was simply amazing. I hope I will be able to at least practise the kriya in the days to come. Not just try but actually do it. Will the world then become a better place? We shall see.